PowerPoint and Presenting Stuff

Brainshark’s Mid-Year Milestones: Conversation with Andy Zimmerman

  Andy Zimmerman is chief marketing officer for Brainshark, Inc., overseeing the company’s marketing organization, strategy, content and demand generation programs. Brainshark’s cloud-based software enables users to create online and mobile video presentations – using simple business tools like PowerPoint and the telephone – and then share and track their content. Thousands of companies use Brainshark to improve the reach and results of their business communications, while dramatically reducing communications costs.

In this conversation, Andy discusses Brainshark’s newly announced milestones from the first half of the year.

Read the rest of this entry »

Filed Under: Interviews
Tagged as: Andy Zimmerman, Brainshark, Interviews, Online Presentations, PowerPoint

Learn PowerPoint 2011 for Mac: Dashed Lines

Since you already know how to change the color of lines and to change their thickness, it is time to move on and learn about another option that lets you play with how lines look. In this tutorial, you will learn to apply a dashed style to any line (or shape outline). A dashed style in PowerPoint 2011 can have plenty of variations from fewer dashes to ones with longer or smaller dashes, or even alternating small and long dashes.

Learn how to apply dashed styles to lines (shape outlines) in PowerPoint 2011 for Mac.

Filed Under: PowerPoint 2011
Tagged as: Lines, Office 2010, PowerPoint 2011, Tutorials

Learn PowerPoint 2010 for Windows: Missing Mini Toolbar

Is your Mini Toolbar in PowerPoint 2010 missing altogether? Well, the Mini Toolbar is a great interface option that lets you quickly choose text formatting options, and since it shows up right next to the selected text, it is certainly very convenient — and there’s no reason why you should not have this Mini Toolbar at your beck and call whenever you need it!

Learn how to get back your missing Mini Toolbar in PowerPoint 2010 for Windows.

Filed Under: PowerPoint 2010
Tagged as: PowerPoint 2010, Tutorials

PowerPoint, a Graphics Program: Conversation with Jamie Garroch

  Jamie Garroch, CEO of GMARK Ltd., founded the company in 2009 to provide presentation professionals with PowerPoint software, content and training. Jamie conceived the idea for the company’s first product, ActivePrez from a non-linear presenting need and has recently added several other add-in products; MapPrez, SwiftPrez, Circlify and interactive maps. Jamie uses PowerPoint for most of his graphic needs, for everything from designing logos to creating web banners and even printed marketing collaterals.

In this conversation, Jamie discusses PowerPoint’s graphic prowess.

Geetesh: It is very interesting to know that you use PowerPoint for so much graphic stuff, such as designing this logo or even creating ads for websites. What makes PowerPoint such an attractive proposition as a graphics program.

Jamie: There are several things that make PowerPoint so well suited to this type of work. Firstly, the graphics engine has really come a long way. There’s not much you can’t do if you set your imagination free.

Secondly, as a daily PowerPoint user, I have become very familiar with the tools. Knowing them inside out and using them effectively instead of having to half learn how to use multiple applications is a real benefit.

Thirdly, when you design content that has to be on-brand, the design themes used in Microsoft Office mean it’s easier and quicker to design in the same environment rather than switch apps (which also consumes computer resources).

Finally, the content is very easily transportable and editable as almost everyone in business has PowerPoint but they often do not have dedicated graphics or illustration applications. Clients love this ‘open source’ concept.

Geetesh: Most business and home users these days have Microsoft Office installed, and yet – a very miniscule percentage of them is aware that PowerPoint is a full functioned graphic program that they already know how to use! What is your advice to them so that they can create graphics in PowerPoint?

Jamie: The first thing I would say is ‘empty your mind and think paper’. That means you need to have an idea of what it is that you want to create and that is actually best conceived on a piece of paper. When you do eventually open PowerPoint, create a new blank (plain white) document and set the layout to blank to get your piece of ‘e-paper’.

The next part is about getting the tools you need for the job in hand. Customize your QAT (Quick Access Toolbar) so that illustration tools are close at hand. These are the essentials I recommend: Layer Controls (Bring/Send – Forward/Back), Alignment (Center, Middle, Top, Bottom, Left, Right, To Slide), Group & Ungroup, Distribute (Vertical, Horizontal), Rotate and the best one of all, the new Combine Shapes tool. An essential skill that is needed is the use of Ctrl, Shift and Alt key combinations to adjust the various properties of shapes.

With all of this in hand, it’s just a case of ‘practice makes perfect’.

You May Also Like: Building an Interactive Public Transport Map Application in PowerPoint, by Jamie Garroch

Filed Under: Interviews
Tagged as: Design, Graphics, Interviews, Jamie Garroch, PowerPoint

Learn PowerPoint 2011 for Mac: Formatting Lines (and Shape Outlines)

You have already learned the basics of formatting shape outlines in PowerPoint 2011. Now you can go a step further to explore more advanced options for all line formatting characteristics like weight, dash style, arrow style, gradient lines, etc. You will learn about each of these aspects in individual tutorials — this particular page explores how you can change line weight to make the outlines thinner and thicker, and also how you can use line styles that encompass double or triple lines.

Learn how to change the weight attribute of lines (shape outlines) in PowerPoint 2011 for Mac.

Filed Under: PowerPoint 2011
Tagged as: Lines, Office for Mac, PowerPoint 2011, Tutorials